I have argued before that a pope can not be a heretic. There is nothing that makes it theoretically impossible; the Holy Spirit only protects the pope from binding Catholics to heresy. But it seems to me that the safest way for the Holy Spirit do to this is simply to ensure that no one who is a heretic, or who could become a heretic, would ever be elected pope. The other option, I guess, would be that the Holy... Read more
Enemies of so-called “innovations” in Vatican II like to cite the Syllabus of Errors in order to claim that the Council contains Modernist heresies. For example, they like to cite No. 15, in which Pius IX condemns the belief that “Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true.” This, say disciples of Lefebvre, contradicts Dignitatis Humanae. DH says, “The human person has a right to religious freedom.”... Read more
Let us do that thing that the blogging Catholic must sometimes do, which is to parse a difficult passage from one of the pope’s innumerable interviews. This, again, was his interview last June as he winged his way back to Rome from Armenia. A reporter said, “Hey! That Martin Luther guy. You can rehabilitate him, right? Perhaps lift his excommunication? What say you?” It was an insane question. Martin Luther’s excommunication ended in 1546 when he died. Now, I have... Read more
Things the pope says in an interview with the press are not Magisterial. I suppose I must clarify that before someone inevitably comes along to accuse me of contradicting my own words. I apologize, though, for being a bit late on this; the interview in question was in June. I checked my archives; God knows what I was doing at the time that made me miss this. At any rate, in the interview the pope was asked about rehabilitating Martin... Read more
Our friends at Church Dilettante were all jittery last month (not with coffee but anticipation) at the news that there would be a conference in Paris on how to depose a pope. Canon lawyers, the article by Christine Niles gushed, would be there! You know, actual canon lawyers, who might advise on how to get rid of that pesky Bergoglio. Two people scheduled to speak at the conference even signed a letter critiquing Amoris Laetitia! Another supported the dubia! (As... Read more
You may have read by now (for I wrote about it, behold, here) that cafeteria Catholic Steve Skojec has pronounced the anathema of One Luther Five upon the Catechism and Vatican II. (Or, at least, what those text have to say about Islam.) “Dangerous wishful thinking!” Mr. Skojec, C.C., cried on Twitter. Well, see for yourself: So always being willing to follow up a claim, I decided to go and see for myself what dangeorus errors the pillar and ground... Read more
Pope Honorius I (625-638) is a favorite example among anti-Catholic Protestants who wish to dispute the doctrine of papal infallibility. (See here for an example, from our old friend Dr.* James White.) Of late, some Catholics have picked up on this, seemingly in an effort to lay groundwork for the claim that Pope Francis teaches heresy. “Why, popes have taught heresy before!” they will say. “The Third Council of Constantinople condemned Pope Honorius I. Don’t you know that? He accepted... Read more
Mary Pezzulo asks, “Who is Steve Skojec, anyway?” Here’s my answer: Apart from being a RadTrad blogger and pope basher at One Luther Five (he calls it One Peter Five, which is his right, I guess), he is a cafeteria Catholic. I have, from a distance, been observing the Twitter war, of several days’ duration, between Mr. Skojec and my Facebook friend Mary Hammond; and I say, I was not going to get in the middle of it, because he... Read more
According to Donum Veritatis (which I also write about here, here, and here), conscience gives us no rationale to dissent from the Church. Conscience is “supreme,” but that does not mean it is subjective; nor is it is above the Church. “Argumentation appealing to the obligation to follow one’s own conscience,” the CDF says, “cannot legitimate dissent.” Although it is true that everyone must heed his own conscience, he is also obliged to form it. Conscience is not an independent... Read more
But Paul corrected Peter!” is a standard objection raised in one of two contexts. Either it is raised by Protestants in order to deny papal infallibility and papal primacy; or it is raised by Catholics in order to defend their rebellion against Pope Francis, or the notion that people like Cardinal Burke should issue a “formal correction” of the Holy Father. The problem is that this biblical example does not at all prove what those who use it think it... Read more
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